NALC National Update – Oct 5, 2026
National update for letter carriers. One development since Friday: two new USPS Inspector General audits put arrow key accountability under the spotlight, right after the Handbook M-41 Arrow Key revisions.
OIG audits flag arrow key lapses (Las Vegas and Baltimore)
On Sep 30, 2026, the USPS Office of Inspector General released a mail theft audit of two Las Vegas, NV, post offices (Report 26-101-R26). It found that keys recorded as verified in RADAR, the system offices use for monthly arrow key certifications, were often missing: 60 of 209 at Meadow Mesa and 35 of 271 at Westridge. It also found that management had not done the annual safety inspections of collection boxes and cluster box units. On Oct 1, 2026, a Maryland District audit of four Baltimore-area delivery units (Report 26-077-R27) found arrow key problems at all four units, along with delayed mail and property-condition issues.
What carriers should know: these findings point at management's key tracking and reporting. Expect tighter arrow key sign-out, scanning, and inventory checks as offices apply the revised M-41 Sections 261.2 and 431. Follow the new procedures, and know that OIG found these gaps in management's own key tracking and RADAR certifications, which matters if a carrier is ever blamed for a missing key.
Background: NALC on the M-41 Arrow Key revisions. No change since Friday on tracked bills: S.3296 (10 cosponsors), H.R.3170 (17), H.R.1065 (231), and S.463 (14).
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